As Chelsea maintained their excellent performance in the UEFA Champions League, Croatian striker Eduardo returned to trouble his previous club Arsenal.
With a precise strike, Eduardo ended Arsenal’s flawless start to the Champions League, securing a 2-1 victory for Shakhtar Donetsk against the Barclays Premier League side.
After spending three years plagued by injuries at Arsenal, Eduardo moved to Shakhtar in July. The 27-year-old forward proved to his former teammates that he remains a powerful presence, scoring a goal that hindered their progress toward the knockout stages.
Arsenal initially took the lead at the Donbass Arena thanks to a stunning finish from Theo Walcott early in the first half. However, Shakhtar equalized through an own goal by Craig Eastmond, before Eduardo clinched the win for the Ukrainian champions.
Although Eduardo has cherished memories of Arsenal for their support following the horrific injury inflicted by Birmingham’s Martin Taylor in 2008, he chose not to celebrate his winning goal. Nevertheless, he was hailed in Donetsk for his effort, which brought his team level on points with Arsenal with two matches remaining.
In London, Chelsea advanced to the last 16 with a commanding 4-1 triumph over Spartak Moscow, led by stand-in captain Didier Drogba.
In his first appearance in European competition this season, Drogba netted one goal from a penalty and provided an assist as the Russians were decisively beaten at Stamford Bridge.
Defender Branislav Ivanovic scored twice, while Nicolas Anelka also found the back of the net for Chelsea.
The victory positioned Chelsea at the top of Group F with 12 points from four matches, six points ahead of second-place Spartak and French club Marseille.
Chelsea’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, expressed his satisfaction with securing a spot in the last 16.
“It was a good evening, we played well and we got a good result,” stated the Italian.
“I believe we are performing better this season, with increased confidence compared to last season, where several issues affected us. Now we need to ensure we finish at the top of the group.”
Anelka initiated Chelsea’s road to victory just four minutes into the second half, executing a top-class finish to break the stalemate after a cautious first 45 minutes.
Salomon Kalou cleverly set up Anelka, who skillfully evaded the offside trap to score brilliantly from a tight angle, beating the advancing Andriy Dykan at the near post.
Chelsea intensified their efforts in the 62nd minute when Drogba, standing in for the absent John Terry who was on the bench, charged into the box and was taken down by Yevgeny Makeev.
The Ivorian striker converted the penalty confidently, firing an unstoppable shot past Dykan into the bottom left corner.
Just four minutes later, Drogba again made his mark; his free kick from the right was met by Ivanovic, whose downward header found the back of the net, putting Chelsea in a commanding position for the knockout stages.
The only blemish on an otherwise strong performance was a late consolation goal conceded to Nikita Bazhenov in the 86th minute, before Ivanovic added his second during injury time.
In other matchups, European giants AC Milan and Real Madrid ended in a 2-2 stalemate at the San Siro.
The Spanish powerhouse seemed poised for their first defeat under manager Jose Mourinho until the fourth minute of injury time, when Pedro Leon netted a goal from a pass by fellow substitute Karim Benzema, salvaging a draw.
Meanwhile, in Slovakia, Marseille delivered a stunning 7-0 victory against MSK Zilina, marking the largest away win in Champions League history.
UEFA Champions League results
Group E
Basel (SUI) 2 Roma (ITA) 3
CFR Cluj (ROM) 0 Bayern Munich (GER) 4
Group F
Chelsea (ENG) 4 Spartak Moscow (RUS) 1
MSK Zilina (SVK) 0 Marseille (FRA) 7
Group G
AC Milan (ITA) 2 Real Madrid (ESP) 2
Auxerre (FRA) 2 Ajax (NED) 1
Group H
Partizan Belgrade (SRB) 0 Sporting Braga (POR) 1
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 2 Arsenal (ENG) 1
Played Wednesday
Group A
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) 3 Inter Milan (ITA) 1
Werder Bremen (GER) 0 FC Twente (NED) 2
Group B
Hapoel Tel-Aviv (ISR) 0 Schalke 04 (GER) 0
Benfica (POR) 4 Lyon (FRA) 3
Group C
Valencia (ESP) 3 Rangers (SCO) 0
Bursaspor (TUR) 0 Manchester United (ENG) 3
Group D
FC Copenhagen (DEN) 1 Barcelona (ESP) 1
Rubin Kazan (RUS) 0 Panathinaikos (GRE) 0
